Glory Road

.It's a great underdog story, and an eye-opening bit of sports history for those under 40, but your enjoyment of James Gartner's inspirational sports flick will depend on your tolerance for its Disneyfication. In 1965, a mostly black college basketball team from El Paso, the Texas Western Miners, not only defied the odds with a nearly perfect season but also broke down the sport's color barrier. Glory Road keeps it upbeat, and doesn't delve much deeper than a Hallmark movie in depicting the racial and social ugliness of the time. Instead we get lots of pep talk from coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) about dignity, talent and pride, and one game after another, shot in glorious slow-motion and underscored by gospel music. You will feel good. Be sure to sit through the credits, which feature contemporary interviews with the real Miners and archival footage of what was arguably the most significant NCAA game ever. (AH)